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Scarff Family History

Scarff Surname Meaning

English: from northern Middle English scarf ‘cormorant’ used either as a nickname for someone bearing a supposed resemblance to a cormorant or else a survival into Middle English of the Old Norse personal name Scarfi derived from skarfr ‘cormorant’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Scarff family from?

You can see how Scarff families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Scarff family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Scarff families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 128 Scarff families living in Suffolk. This was about 28% of all the recorded Scarff's in United Kingdom. Suffolk had the highest population of Scarff families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Scarff surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Scarff ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Scarff. 27% of Scarff men worked as a General Labourer and 73% of Scarff women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Scarff were Retired and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Scarff | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    27%
  • Farm Labourer
    24%
  • Agricultural Labourer
    12%
  • Retired
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%

What Scarff family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 12,000 census records available for the last name Scarff. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Scarff census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Scarff

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Scarff. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Scarff immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Scarff. For the veterans among your Scarff ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Scarff military records

You've only scratched the surface of Scarff family history

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What is the average Scarff lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Scarff life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1968, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Scarff in 1940 was 68, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Scarff

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Scarff ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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